(We meet at Souly Holistic – 5540 McNeely Drive, Suite 101, in Raleigh, NC. Feel free to bring your lunch. You are also welcome to leave early if you need to get back to work.)
Theme: Cultivating Resilience
From Grateful Living Resources…
Summary
The foundations of grateful living – presence, perspective, and possibility – manifest in our capacity to embrace the opportunity of every moment. Since every moment is change, and our ability to respond to change defines resilience, gratefulness and resilience are necessarily interwoven. In adapting to and growing from shifts in life, we lean into opportunity. Even amidst suffering, we remember the possibility of joy, love, and beauty – that we might yet experience laughter, the embrace of a loved one, the vibrancy of the sky, poetry – and in doing so we nurture the hope, courage, and gratitude that keep us from chronic states of stagnation and numbness. While gratefulness helps us cultivate resilience, drawing on our resilience expands our embrace of life, which in turn makes us more grateful. We affirm what it means to thrive, not merely survive. In moving through difficulty, we surrender to the natural, ever-changing flow of life – and so we move toward life.
Resources
Primary Readings
The Dynamic Interplay of Resilience and Aliveness (2:30): [https://gratefulness.org/blog/the-dynamic-interplay-of-resilience-and-aliveness/](https://gratefulness.org/blog/the-dynamic-interplay-of-resilience-and-aliveness/)
When Savoring a Pleasant Moment is a Radical Act (4:00): This essay by Ari Honarvar reminds us of the importance of joy and gratitude in building resilience, as explored in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. [https://gratefulness.org/blog/when-savoring-a-pleasant-moment-is-a-radical-act/](https://gratefulness.org/blog/when-savoring-a-pleasant-moment-is-a-radical-act/)
Lessons in Resilience: The Stories We Tell and Why They Matter (4:00): [http://www.dailygood.org/story/1968/lessons-in-resilience-the-stories-we-tell-and-why-they-matter/](http://www.dailygood.org/story/1968/lessons-in-resilience-the-stories-we-tell-and-why-they-matter/)
Six Foundations for Community Resilience (2:00): This article from resilience.org describes elements that help make communities as a whole adaptable and sustainable. [https://www.resilience.org/six-foundations-for-community-resilience/](https://www.resilience.org/six-foundations-for-community-resilience/)
Video
Building Resilient Communities: A Moral Responsibility (15:00): In this TED talk, Nick Tilsen describes how his community came together to address overwhelming challenges, and the ways in which this process is contributing to the long-term thriving of individuals and the community at-large. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Re-KrQNa4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Re-KrQNa4)
“Resilient” by Rising Appalachia (4:20): This music video celebrates resilience through the beauty of song and dance. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx17RvPMaQ8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx17RvPMaQ8)
Stories of Hope and Resilience from Covid-19 Survivors (4:20): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCQd3Jv0pQU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCQd3Jv0pQU)
Poem
On Safety by Nadine Pinede[ https://gratefulness.org/resource/on-safety/](https://gratefulness.org/resource/on-safety/)
Practice
How Tuning Into Your Body Can Make You More Resilient: By balancing our physiology and nervous systems, body-based practices – as described in this article – can help us through hard times. [https://gratefulness.org/resource/how-tuning-in-to-your-body-can-make-you-more-resilient/](https://gratefulness.org/resource/how-tuning-in-to-your-body-can-make-you-more-resilient/)
No Mud, No Lotus: Boosting Resilience when Life is Tough: This practice from the Via Character Institute invites us to “connect, care, and create” to cultivate perspective and help us source resilience during times of difficulty. [https://www.viacharacter.org/topics/articles/no-mud-no-lotus-boosting-resilience-when-life-is-tough](https://www.viacharacter.org/topics/articles/no-mud-no-lotus-boosting-resilience-when-life-is-tough)
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
o What experiences in my life have strengthened my capacity to adapt and grow in the face of challenges?
o How does gratefulness contribute to my sense of resilience?
o What supports me in moving through challenges? What perspectives help me lean into life as it is?
o How does resilience help me thrive amidst adversity?
o How does my community model resilience?
o What feels possible when I draw on my resilience, as well as that of my community?
This event is free.
Facilitated by Karin Cross.
